Sidewall protectors are used on some large earthmoving tires being operated in rocky conditions where the sidewalls of the tires are susceptible to abrasion and cutting. The sidewall protectors are usually made of rubber and are contoured to envelope the bulge in the sidewall of the tires. Mounting holes are commonly provided at the inner periphery for fastening the sidewall protectors to the rim on which the tire is mounted.
One problem associated with such sidewall protectors is that of how to build them economically on a production basis with a high degree of uniformity. Although several existing techniques currently used for building a tire carcass with strips of extruded rubber can be utilized in the building operation the completely different structure poses problems not encountered in the building of tires. For example, the sidewall protectors have a plurality of mounting holes at the inner periphery thereof. Additionally some sidewall protectors have a pair of side ribs concentric with and adjacent the inner periphery. Since tires do not have comparable mounting holes or the equivalent of the ribs, new apparatus and procedures were required for forming such holes and ribs.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.